Can't Close a Painted Eye

Inez is walking home through the woods when she comes across a scene that makes no sense: Carmen, injured and bleeding, sitting among the pieces of shattered mannequins. Unsure whether to help, run or simply ask what on earth happened, Inez stays, and the meeting that follows between the two women is equal parts eerie and oddly funny. Directed by Canadian filmmaker Suzette McCanny, who also appears on screen alongside Emily Coutts and Sheelagh Darling, this eight-minute short blends comedy and drama with strange, dreamlike imagery. It never explains too much, preferring to leave its woodland mystery open, and it invites the audience to piece together what brought Carmen to that clearing and what draws Inez to her. A small, curious film that lingers well after its brief running time.